US House Passes Abortion Defense Bill in Response to End of Roe Protections

Democratic Party lawmakers in both houses of Congress have vowed action to protect women's ability to travel across state lines to get an abortion after Republican states rushed to criminalize the procedure. The legislative rush has come in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to abolish federal abortion protections last month.

The House of Representatives passed two bills Friday aimed at safeguarding abortion access, including a measure allowing women to travel across state lines to get the procedure if it is banned in their home state.

The first bill, entitled the 'Ensuring Access to Abortion Act', was passed by a margin of 223-205, with three Republicans, including never Trumper Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, joining all 220 Democrats to vote in favor of the measure.

The bill proposes making it illegal for states where abortion is lawful to bar women from out of state from getting the procedure at a registered clinic, introduces legal protections for those who assist women getting an abortion, and provides for the legalization of the interstate transportation of Food and Drug Administration-approved abortion drugs.

The second bill, the 'Women's Health Protection Act', was passed 219-201, with Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas the only Democrat to vote against. That bill has already been around the block of congressional debate, and was passed by the House last September, but thrown out twice by the Senate, which is split 50/50 between Republicans and Democrats.

Senate Democrats drafted legislation similar to the 'Ensuring Access to Abortion Act' earlier this week, calling it the 'Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022'. That bill proposes protections for non-profits which assist women traveling to states where abortion is permitted to get the procedure.

The fate of both of the House bills passed Friday remains uncertain amid the possibility that rogue Democrat Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema could block their Senate versions. The two lawmakers already dashed Democrats' hopes for a filibuster change to codify federal abortion rights late last month, despite paying lip service of their support for Roe v Wade.

Lawmakers also face time constraints, with the House going on a month-long recess at the end of July, and the Senate following suit a week later in early August.

On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 legal case establishing federal protections for abortion. Republicans and pro-life campaigners hailed the decision as a major victory for conservative values, with GOP lawmakers quickly drafting legislation to tighten state anti-abortion laws. Democrats and pro-choice activists slammed the ruling, and have organized mass protests across the country, including outside the homes of the justices who ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade.

On Sunday, President Biden called on Americans to "keep protesting" the ruling, saying it was "critically important." He added that the White House was studying whether it would be possible to declare a public health emergency over the issue of abortion access.

A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted late last month found that some 59 percent of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court's ruling, with 41 percent expressing support. A separate poll by Pew Research found that slim majorities in the 21 Republican-controlled states which have banned or are planning to ban abortion in the wake of the ruling also disapprove of the ruling.